Art therapy a 'gift of accomplishment' for York retirees

MnemaTherapy focuses on memory and behavior, but it means more than that to Country Meadow residents

Gloria "Mickey" Kauffman, left, paints recently with the help of therapist Kim Martin at County Meadows on Trolley Road in West Manchester Township. (Paul Kuehnel - Daily Record/Sunday News)

Gloria "Mickey" Kauffman, left, looks through a book to see what she wants to paint last month with therapist Kim Martin at County Meadows on Trolley Road in West Manchester Township Wednesday May 7, 2014. (Paul Kuehnel - Daily Record/Sunday News)

Gloria "Mickey" Kauffman grips a paint brush in her right fist and drags the bristles across a pink piece of paper.

The 78-year-old resident of Country Meadows Retirement Communities in West Manchester Township said she learned to paint before she could walk.

Crippled by polio in 1914, at 6, she learned to use her hands before her feet, she said. She didn't walk again until she was 9.

Virginia "Ginny" Redding, 72, has found similar accomplishment in the art therapy sessions.

In 2000, she suffered a stroke that left half her body paralyzed.

Redding has barely moved a finger on her left hand since it happened, she said.

"I have a hard time understanding it, and as a nurse you think I would, but when I paint I feel like my whole body is working together," she said. "And it's such a funny thing, because half of my body barely works."

Redding has shared her paintings with her five children, who each display one in their home. Her daughter-in-law, who recently gave birth to her third child, chose a work by Redding that featured three robin's eggs called "Bed and Breakfast."

"You never imagine one day the roles will be reversed and your art will now be displayed in your child's home," Redding said.

After each session, Martin and her students grab their artwork and take it down the hall to show it off.

A few people reading nearby applauded Kauffman's "Simplicity" portrait, displaying a vivid bouquet.

"Thank you, thank you," she said, bowing over her walker to her adoring fans.

Bonnie Geisginer, director of community life at Country Meadows, said she's seen an "awakening of residents" who use the program.

"All of a sudden, these residents who are usually confused and dazed seem to be alert," she said. "People who don't normally want to do anything make these beautiful pictures, and the way it makes them feel makes it all worth it."

While both Kauffman and Redding respond well to the art therapy, sometimes people aren't as accepting, Martin said.

Her goal during each lesson is to ensure the person has fun, but that they also experience a lasting change in the brain.

Sometimes those goals are adjusted based on the student, she said.

One woman once refused to smile during a session and complained about not being able to do the work, Martin said. But when the final product, mostly painted by Martin, was finished, Martin was able to get the woman to grin.

"What's going on inside each person is different," she said. "We all have the power to make somebody's day worse or better. And it feels really good to make it better."

Contact Rebecca Hanlon at 717-771-2088.

If you go

Pathway to the Arts exhibit at Living Word Community Church, 2530 Cape Horn Road in Red Lion, will feature work by individuals who participate in Jessica and Friends Community Pathway Program.

Gloria "Mickey" Kauffman, left, with therapist Kim Martin, shows off her painting last month to other people at County Meadows on Trolley Road in West Manchester Township Wednesday May 7, 2014. (Paul Kuehnel - Daily Record/Sunday News)

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